Introspection, G.O.P.-Style: At a forum last week hosted by the Athens Federation of Neighborhoods, our local delegation of state lawmakers—four Republicans and Keith Heard, thanks to Doug McKillip’s party switch and plenty of crafty district-drawing for this overwhelmingly Democratic-voting community—gamely pretended to have seriously grappled with how to afford Athens its due representation during their recent legislative session. The most telling instance of that, and apparently the most nearly sincere, was the candid admission by freshman Watkinsville Rep. Chuck Williams of misgivings he had while voting “yes” on McKillip’s bill to outlaw abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Responding to local OBGYN Ruth Cline’s emotional appeal for guidance as to how doctors should handle a very specific and reasonably common medical emergency after that 20th week without performing harmful and unnecessary surgery, Williams confessed, “I hit the ‘yes’ button hoping the medical community would find a way to deal with those issues.” He expressed a similar uncertainty about whether another bill he voted for, requiring welfare applicants—but no other prospective recipients of state money—to take a drug test, constituted a fair and responsible approach to safeguarding taxpayer resources.
It’s interesting to parse the exact implications of Williams’ entirely justified doubts concerning laws like these—the latter an obviously unconstitutional singling-out of the despised poor which nonetheless passed with unanimous support from Republicans in both chambers. What he is apparently unsure of is whether such legislation constitutes an undue intrusion of the state upon the dearest privacy of individuals—a “government overreach,” if you will—which it has long been one of his party’s primary tenets to oppose with fanatical vehemence. (Anybody remember the G.O.P. furor last year over X-ray security scans—you know, to prevent terrorist attacks—of people who can afford to fly on airplanes?) Should a committed conservative err on the side of moderation when it occurs to him that the bill he is considering may constitute a severe and unwarranted brandishing of government power?
The answer to Williams’ pang of conscience is “absolutely, yes, of course,” but it seems still to be just beyond the grasp of even this down-to-earth Republican. The fervent championing of such policies by his entire caucus lays absolutely bare the hollowness of the G.O.P.’s “principles” once they brush up against the far more urgent priority of cultivating and nurturing the basest prejudices of the party’s constituency. Could it be that Williams does get it, after all, but is just too polite to say?
A conceptual drawing of the proposed site plan for the redevelopment of the Jack R. Wells Homes.
Pauldoe Redevelopment: The ACC Mayor and Commission last week heard a presentation on the long-discussed redevelopment of the Jack R. Wells Homes, the local public housing neighborhood usually known as “Pauldoe.” Athens Housing Authority Director Rick Parker brought along Columbia Residential President and Chief Operating Officer James Grauley to give the lowdown on the plans, and they are impressive. Columbia is the development “partner” the AHA will be working with on the project, which hinges on approval by the state Department of Community Affairs of an application for federal tax credits that, if awarded, would pay for about 70 percent of the $47 million project. The construction, if it’s funded, will be undertaken in three stages, the first dedicated to senior assisted living. The AHA is asking the government for a commitment to an infrastructure investment equivalent to either 5 or 10 percent of that phase’s cost to help its bid for the tax credits. ACC Manager Alan Reddish indicated that coming up with 5 percent—about $700,000—is a realistic goal, but said 10 percent “would be difficult.”
The plan calls for completely demolishing the existing neighborhood and building a new one from scratch. No public housing residents would be permanently displaced; the rebuilt development would consist of about one-third public housing, one-third low-income, tax-credit subsidized units and one-third market-rate units, which would be fully integrated and indistinguishable from one another. The application for the tax credits must be filed by June 14, and the AHA will have its response in November.
A conceptual drawing of the proposed “village green” that would be a part of the redevelopment of the Jack R. Wells Homes.
Still No Master Plan: The mayor and commission hammered out the details of ACC’s FY 2013 budget last week, and commissioners managed to scrape together funds for several things Mayor Nancy Denson had trimmed, like bus service from 8–10 p.m. and the county’s environmental coordinator position. But they didn’t find the money for a downtown master plan, which has an estimated cost of $100,000–200,000 but has been claimed as a high priority in recent months, as controversial development initiatives have highlighted ACC’s lack of a clear and enforceable vision for how it wants its downtown to grow. Alternative funding sources for the plan are still being sought, possibly including SPLOST revenues collected for business corridor improvements. But the only thing that’s clear for now is that our local government still hasn’t put its money where its mouth is when it comes to planning for downtown’s future.
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